Atelier Tanaka Volume 3 Chapter 3 part4

It was decided that Allen and Ester-chan would join in on the investigation. However, I thought I'd be more effective working on my own. Although, having a member of the nobility working with me will certainly have its advantages. An ugly foreigner like me would be lucky to get the time of day from the citizens of this country.

So, I told them I had other things I needed to get done and began my initial solo investigation. After leaving the cafe, I immediately began gathering information in Kalis. I want to get this done as quickly as possible.

"…she's not here."

The first place I visited was the city square.

As usual, I came to my personal guide for information.

However, I couldn't find her.

"…."

Have I gotten too greedy and abused the little girl's guidance one too many times?

That's right.

I can't rely on other people to do the work for me.

No, that's not actually why I came here.

It was just fun talking to the little girl. I'm a useless adult.

"…what should I do?"

If I think about this like a quest, I should be able to get the information I need by just asking random people.

However, when I consider what kind of first impression my face will give, I don't expect to have much luck. It would be the same as asking for directions on the road. The number of people that would respond to this strange middle-aged man would be rather low.

As I was thinking about this, I spotted someone I knew amidst the crowd of people.

"Oh, Mercedes-san…."

I called out to her unconsciously.

But she didn't hear me.

She was dressed in full armour, rushing through the crowd without noticing me. Her eyes were serious as she ran forward. They were locked on to a certain point in front of her. It looked like she was chasing someone.

Is it a woman?

It's definitely a woman.

This scene of her chasing someone evoked a sense of curiosity in me.

I felt it only natural to follow Mercedes-chan.

***

It didn't take the lesbian long to reach her destination.

We arrived at one of the many slums located in the capital city. To be more exact, it was an abandoned house. What business could the lesbian have here?

Perhaps she woke up today craving something only a man can give her and she's come here looking for fresh meat.

A beautiful woman being taken by a group of homeless men is the best. I love it.

"…I'm coming in."

The knight entered the house that looked as if it had been abandoned for decades.

After seeing her figure disappear inside the house, I wondered what to do.

My life will never be complete if I'm unable to witness the lesbian's group scene.

"Should I go in too?"

I prepared myself to enter and stealthily approached the entrance.

This area of the city was sparsely populated and the few that were around to see me were the homeless that spent their entire days wasting around on the streets. Because there were many shady people in this area, it was the perfect place to commit a crime.

I really want to see Mercedes-chan take on a group of homeless men.

"…."

I entered the open doorway.

The dilapidated house was around fifty to sixty tatami mats in size. The floor was entirely made of stone. The number of rooms also seemed rather large. Even though I had only just entered the building, I could see there were several doors lined up along the walls. It almost resembled an inn.

This neighbourhood is densely packed with buildings giving it a small resemblance to Tokyo. Thanks to this, there was a severe lack of light in the house. The dark hallways made this place look like a haunted house. Considering the large amount of dust that accumulated all over the place, it must've been years since someone has lived here.

"Gyaaaaaa!?"

After moving through some of the house a sudden scream echoed throughout the building.

It was a human's voice.

Unfortunately, it was a man.

"I guess I should find the source…."

I gave up on being stealthy and ran towards the sound of the voice.

I went down a corridor then turned into another before spotting an open door. From my spot in the hallway, I could see a pool of blood forming outside the door. That must be where the scream came from.

I slowly made my way to the open doorway.

Inside, I could see the figures of a man and woman.

"Tell me! Otherwise, I'll take your left foot next!"

"D-Damn…y-you actually cut off my foot…."

Mercedes-chan was calmly holding her sword out at the man. There was a fresh stain of blood dying her chest piece red but it didn't look like she was injured. I could tell at a glance that she was angry.

The man was a bit older but handsome. He had short brown hair and was about as tall as me. Based on the shortsword on the ground and light metal armour he was wearing, I'm guessing he's an adventurer.

His foot had been severed just below his left ankle. He was rolling around on the ground trying to cover the wound with both of his hands. Blood was pouring out of his wound and I could tell he'd be dead by the end of the day if he was left like that. My recovery magic would easily heal that wound but I don't dare enter the room after seeing how angry Mercedes-chan is.

"Aah, is someone out there…?"

"Damn it, is it one of your friends!?"

They noticed my soy sauce face poking into the doorway at the same time.

It almost seemed like they were getting ready to fight together.

"Oh, is that Mercedes-chan? What a strange place for us to run into each other."

"…I see. You've also found out about this place."

What does that mean?

"What's going on here anyway? You look quite serious."

"I thought I had found their hiding place, but they managed to escape thanks to this man's betrayal. Ah, but that's never going to happen again, now is it? This man will never be able to betray anyone else. That is, of course, only after he's told me what I want to know."

"What do you mean?"

"The Great Thief responsible for the prison breakout."

"So it's about that."

Mercedes-chan was a part of the prison escape as well. I guess she was also looking into the escape just like me. She's a great knight with the powerful title of 'Imperial Knight.'

If I have her with me, this search may be easy.

"By the way, who is that man?"

"He's an information broker I hired, but it seems he was secretly working for them."

"So this man betrayed you?"

A so-called double agent.

"What a joke. Calling this pathetic creature a man…."

To think that after only wanting to follow Mercedes-chan's butt, I came across such a dramatic scene.

However, to think that the Imperial Lesbian actually found the hideout of this spy. Looking back on the events around Tricklis and our fight with the Dragon, there's no longer any doubt in my mind that she's skilled. Perhaps her title of Imperial Knight is actually deserved.

"Wait there for a moment. I'll get the info out of this guy in just a moment."

"S-Stay away from me…."

Mercedes-chan approached the injured man.

Is this torture?

Is she torturing the information out of him?

I personally don't agree with that strategy.

"If you won't talk, I'm going to cut it off and shove it down your throat."

"Wha–"

The Imperial Lesbian took another step towards the man.

The double agent did his best to crawl away from her.

"I-I'll talk. I'll talk so please stop!"

"Really?"

"Yes! But, if you turn me into the guards, I'll tell them everything I know! I know that you were a part of the escape!"

"Ku…."

The double agent was clearly terrified but still mustered up enough courage to threaten Mercedes-chan. Mercedes-chan understood the position this put her in, but this did confirm that this man was connected with the other escapees. There's no doubt that he does have useful information.

"What do you say, Imperial Knight?"

"Fine. Only if you agree to never tell anyone about us. If you do, I will use whatever power I possess as an imperial knight to capture you. Don't think for a second that you'll be able to escape me."

"I…I understand. So please stop looking at me like that. Besides, killing me would be a mistake. If I don't return by this evening, none of the information I have will be useful to you anyway."

"Then speak so I can put your information to use."

After hearing Mercedes-chan's words, the man crawled along the floor and propped himself up against the wall and began telling us everything he knew.

It seemed the majority of the escapees have continued working together. It may just be a temporary alliance to avoid being captured while the country is still looking for them.

He gave us their location as we left the house.

I healed the man's injury before we left.

***

By the time we left the slums, it was already getting dark.

I still felt like I should continue my investigation as soon as possible, but I decided to return to the school dormitory for now. I walk all the way to one area of town, just to return to where I came from. It's getting exhausting. Even if I can heal my body with recovery magic, my magic can't heal my heart.

I talked with Mercedes-chan about the investigation and she told me she had been going out over the past few days looking for information. Surprisingly, she agreed that we should start looking together. We'd conduct a full-scale investigation tomorrow.

Like this, Mercedes-chan walked with me through the school grounds to the dorm.

"…do you really live in a place like this?"

"Yeah, well, it's only thanks to Fahren-san."

"Did you see that maid we passed earlier? Her thighs were so thick."

"It's the perfect environment for a student to study."

"Ku, I never thought I'd be envious of you…."

After Mercedes-chan asked me where I lived, she found out that Sophichan was living with me. She also found out that the loli bitch is my neighbour. After hearing this, she insisted she come with me to the dorm.

Damn this lesbian knight. She already had her own personal meat toilet during the conflict and she still wants more.

"This is it."

"Ah…."

I took the key out of my pocket and opened the door.

When I put it in I could tell that it wasn't locked. Did I forget to lock it? No, I know I made sure to lock the door when I left.

That means Sophichan must have left it unlocked.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, it's nothing."

I'm sure it's nothing.

"Please, come in."

"Thanks."

We walked through the entry room, down the hallway, and approached the living room. The door here is usually left open but was now closed. Well, I don't live by myself, so this isn't that surprising.

I reached for the doorknob.

However, the moment I touched it, I could hear a voice on the other side. There was frosted glass on the door and I could make out the vague silhouette of someone on the other side.

I thought it was Sophichan but there was more than one voice.

"Wow, Allen-sama, you're so muscular!" "Do all knights have such amazing bodies?" "This is the first time I've seen a proper man's body." "Umm, c-can I touch you?" "Me too! I-I also want to touch you." "Allen-sama's body is amazing."

There were several girls saying things that could only make me think of one thing.

Wait a moment.

What's been happening in my living room while I was out?

"Did I go to the wrong room?"

"…is someone else here?"

"No, it's nothing like that…."

After hearing the voices of several young girls in the living room, the Imperial Lesbian looked like she was in heat.

I was unsure of what to do. We were lined up in the corridor outside the living room.

As I looked at the lesbian's face, oh no, she's completely changed into her sexual harassment mode.

Should we leave?

I'm sure that there's something going on behind this door that I don't want to see.

But, Mercedes-chan acted first.

"Excuse me."

She pushed passed me and opened the door.

She really can't control herself.

And so, the scene in the living room became clear.

"Ah, you're finally home!"

Ester-chan was the first to speak when we entered.

She was sitting on the sofa reading a book.

In addition to Ester-chan, Allen was sitting on the sofa opposite her. Surrounding him were a few girls that were students at the school that I recognized. He had removed all of his armour and was now just in his underwear.

The girls on the left and right of him were rubbing his chest and crotch. The student that stood behind him had her arms wrapped around his neck. A few more students had no place to jump in and were now lined up waiting for their turn.

Sophichan was standing in the corner of the room looking apologetic.

Chapter end